Nikon Suspends C2PA on Z6 III Following Hacking Reports

The arrival of C2PA functionality on the Nikon Z6 III was considered a big deal, but it looks like things have not gone smoothly with its implementation as the company has already had to hit the pause button.

The addition of C2PA functionality to the Nikon Z6 III was one of the main headlines of the camera's recent v2.0 firmware upgrade last month. However, it seems that not all has gone as planned, with the company releasing a statement saying that the Nikon Authenticity Service has been temporarily suspended.

Here's what it says: "We have confirmed that an issue has been identified in the Nikon Authenticity Service. In response to this confirmation, the service has been temporarily suspended while we work diligently to resolve the issue. We will provide an update as soon as the corrective measures are complete. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused."

No Reason Given

Nikon does not specify the reasons behind the suspension of the service, nor the workaround that it is trying to implement to get it back online. But it is almost certainly down to the way that the C2PA authority can be gamed using the camera's Multiple Exposure mode. 

Peta Pixel has the details, but essentially it is possible to combine C2PA-signed and unsigned photos into a single image file with the C2PA stamp of approval. It's not exactly an easy operation, but the fact that it can be done at all is a definite problem for a technology that is meant to be a cast iron guarantee to prevent AI-generated images being mistaken for genuine photographs.

Kudos for Nikon on acting quickly to address the matter, but it is a definite warning shot across the bows of the technology. As it rolls out further to more vendors and the gear supporting it becomes more complex, so the challenges in ensuring its veracity are only going to ramp up as well.